Between jet lag and back spasms, both the result of my first post-pandemic airplane trip, I didn’t feel well the other night. Even so, I was loathe to forego reading aloud to our grandkids, ages 3 and 6.
Reading aloud to these sweet children is one of the great delights of living in a multigenerational household. I knew that sitting beside them on the couch could make my back worse. Then again, due to my travels, I hadn’t read to them for over a week.
Photo credit: Ben Griffiths on Unsplash.com.
The solution was surprisingly simple—they climbed into my bed, books in hand, and we had read aloud time there. It was a rousing success, in great part because of these five read aloud tips employed by many parents.
Cuddle up. Reading aloud is an opportunity to share snuggles. Children will want to be close to you so they can look at the pictures. Put them on your lap if they’re small. Drape an arm around their shoulders if they’re bigger. Not only will they benefit from physical touch, they will feel the vibrations of your voice as they listen. Such tactile experiences help children feel secure and loved.
Use expression. Do more than read the story. Read it with expression. Vary the speed of your reading to match what’s happening in the story. Raise and lower your volume to create suspense or drama. Use different voices for different characters. Laugh, cry, whisper, and shout when the characters do. Doing so makes the story come alive, and it provides a model for your children about how they can read aloud expressively, too.
Talk about the pictures. Each time you turn to a new page of a picture book, pause to give you and your child time to look at the pictures. Talk about what you see. Point out colors, shapes, animals, and people. Let your child talk about what they notice. Do the same thing when illustrations pop up in chapter books.
Ask and answer questions. Before turning a page, or when a suspenseful plot point is about to be revealed, ask what your kids think will happen next. Ask them how they came up with their predictions. Once you read the next part of the story, ask them if their prediction came true. Discuss clues that led them astray or overlooked details. This strategy can help them become more attentive listeners and readers
Let your kids read to you. When my 3-year-old granddaughter climbed in bed beside me the other evening, she said, “I’m going to read to you, Grammy!” She then “read” her favorite book, which she’s heard more times than either of us can count. Her rendition revealed that she knows how to use expression and create voices for the characters. She uses pictures as visual cues. Her gaze moves from top to bottom on each page. She looks at the left page first and then the right before turning to a new page. In short, her pre-literacy development is right on track. When she and her older brother become actual readers, we will take turns reading so they can practice those skills, and I can gauge their reading progress.
God created humans to learn through stories. Jesus taught through parables for this very reason. When you read to your children, whatever their mix of abilities may be, and use these five read aloud tips for families, you are tapping into a highly effective, highly relational teaching tool. Best of all, reading to your kids is fun. What’s not to love about that?
Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregivng community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She's also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon. See Jane Run!, the first book in the West River cozy mystery series will be released in June of 2022.
